Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2016 BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL PAGE 5B The Game Plan My really early NBA Finals predictions Well we’ve reached the beginning of November, which means that the NBA season has begun - about two months too early in my opinion. But. nonetheless it has begun, so let’s hunker down and try to make sense of what will happen this sea son. The defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers look to be the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference again, with many of the experts picking them to win the NBA title again. But, there is all sorts of com petition this year, so here are my predictions for how things will shape up in both conferences. For years the Western Conference has been more entertaining and filled with better teams than the East ern Conference, that seems to be the case again this season. The West has a few pow erhouse teams that will be competing for that top spot going into the playoffs. I see some combination of the Warriors and Spurs in the top two positions with the Thunder close behind in third. The Thunder will with out a doubt be missing Kevin Durant, but I think everyone is anticipating Rus sell Westbrook having a career season (and like ly winning the MVP award) so don’t be sur prised to see the Thunder too far behind the big dogs. As far as those big dogs, I still have a hard time expecting the Warriors to not be the best team in the West. Yes, I know they lost their first game of the sea son to the Spurs, but some thing tells me that the Warriors are going to figure out how to play with all their star-power and dominate the West. Although, it shouldn’t shock anyone if the Spurs finish first place in the West - which, by the way, I find it hilarious that peo ple were actually shocked the Spurs beat the Warriors in the first game of the season, but that’s another topic for another day. As far as the Eastern Con ference, well that’s where things get interesting. The Cavs will finish in first, no doubt about that, but after that it is a toss up for who will wind up behind them in the standings. The most attractive picks seem to be the Celtics or the Raptors, that’s fair. I think the Celtics are better than the Raptors and I see Boston coming in second. The Indiana Pacers are another team everyone should look out for in the East. I anticipate Paul George having a great sea son and landing the Pacers somewhere in the top 4 for the Eastern Conference. It will be a long season, filled with a lot of excite ment. But as of now, here is my really early prediction for the NBA Finals: Cleve land vs. Golden State/San Antonio. I know, how shocking of a prediction! But, it’s the NBA, and all the parody ends after the first round of the playoffs. Enjoy the season! Tyler Rollason is a Wind er-Barrow High School and University of West Georgia graduate. You can email comments about this col umn to tyrollason@yahoo. com. Bluegrass memories There was a time before the proliferation of televi sion contracts which now cover every sport, every helmet and every pony tail in the Southeastern Con ference (not suggesting any of that is bad by the way) you learned about other schools in the league by radio. You used your imagina tion to form images and opinions about each cam pus and team. Tiger Stadium on Satur day night in Baton Rouge: Tulane (have you forgot ten that the Green Wave was an original member of the SEC?) in carnivorous Tulane Stadium (80.985 capacity), home of the Sugar Bowl; Shields-Wat- kins Field by the Tennes see River in Knoxville; Lexington’s Stoll Field in the middle of Bluegrass Country and the Hedges of Sanford Stadium in Ath ens. The accounts on radio made you want to find a way to see what the screaming Cajuns were like in person, just how big Tulane Stadium was in New Orleans and what the atmosphere was like when Alabama and Auburn played at Legion Field in Birmingham. Stoll Field in Lexing ton didn’t sound unique but Cawood Ledford, like a latter day Larry Mun son, made it sound like the greatest place on earth. Radio resonated with the fans, but rights fees were miniscule compared to what television brings in today. I can remember in the late fifties when Richard T. Frick, who owned the New York agency which owned the rights to Georgia foot ball and basketball, came to town to have dinner with Howell Hollis, Business Manager of Athletics, and Dan Magill. Sports Infor mation Director and a cou ple of sports writers before a home game. I saw Frick hand over a check to Hollis for $5,000 for Georgia rights fees which Hollis gleefully put into the inside vest pocket of his sports coat. Can you comprehend today that that check was a big deal for the University of Georgia in those times? It would be decades before the big money scene enveloped college athletics and made five thousand dollars look like a measly tip. With the escalation of rights fees and the gushing of money from all sources, it is difficult for today’s generation to fathom the challenge of yesteryear’s college athletic adminis trators to balance the bud get. There often is a flash back to those older days when radio was about the only means of attracting fans (other than winning big). Munson and Ledford, John Ferguson of LSU and John Ward of Tennessee all wanted you to be a part of the college football scene. Radio made you want to go there. I got to know Ledford about the same time as I became acquainted with Munson and always thought that the two best trips on the Georgia sched ule were to Nashville— the Grand Ole Opry and Printer’s Alley—and Lex ington—Keeneland Race Course and the horse farms. Even today, I can’t think of a prettier landscape than the bluegrass of Kentucky and the ancillary opportu nities for anyone who has any curiosity. I can recall arriving in Lexington when the leaves were at peak and the hors es were running at Keene land, which gets my vote as the prettiest horse track in the country. There often was a nip in the air and a need for a sport coat. In the club house, the well- to-do were smartly dressed with the ladies adorned with a fur on their shoulders and the men in snappy sport coats and ties. Down at the infield the “other half,” cavorted in blue jeans and sweaters that needed darning at the elbow. Like those in the club house, those with limited means and lesser social standing were serious betters who enjoyed the same thrill of redeeming a winning ticket at the pay window. In Kentucky there’s more than the horse tracks at Keeneland and Louis ville in the fall. You can follow the bourbon trail and enjoy the distilleries where your favorite bourbon is made. Years ago somebody’s ancestor, dating back to the time of Daniel Boone, figured out there was something about the lime stone water that enhanced the taste of bour bon which resulted in the distilling of fine products which are marketed world wide. Football, however, has to be the centerpiece of any weekend to Lexington in the fall. Over the years, there have often been some thrilling and exciting games and on occasion, there were games when the elements were harsh, even snow and sleet to contend with. All time, Georgia has a 55-12-2 record versus Kentucky, even holding an edge at games played in Lexington, 26-7, but some of those victories were hard earned. Flash back to 1978 when Kentucky held the lead, 16-14, with Georgia hav ing one last chance at vic tory. The Wildcats yielded yardage grudgingly. Only the determined- give-no-quarter efforts of tailback Willie McClen don gave the Bulldogs the edge. He was knocking line backers about, edging closer to the Wildcats goal with every snap. This was Dooley ball at its finest. This forward march would not involve the for ward pass. Willie right and Willie left. Will he get us to the end zone? The classic stalemate reached the Kentucky 22 yard line, when the clock dictated that Georgia had to win it with Rex Robin son’s foot. Repeated timeout calls failed to ice Noble Rex. His foot was never more classically true, however. There were three sec onds left when the ball sailed through at 17-16. Munson, if you recalled, confirmed it with, “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!” The team flew home and I stayed behind with a bot tle of Woodford Reserve. And a bowl of burgoo. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! The high times of Ken tucky trips remain at the top of personal flashbacks. It was radio that started my memorable journey. Loran Smith is a sports columnist for the Bar- row News-Journal. He is co-host of the University of Georgia football radio pre-game show. Call in the professionals for a Home Energy Evaluation. One of our representatives will come to your home and use high tech equipment to diagnose energy ailments. Then, you'll receive a report of recommended improvements prioritized by those that will give you the biggest energy savings. For more energy-saving tips, access the coach's playbook at www.jacksonemc.com/playbook. YOUR ENERGY COACH with a Home Energy Evaluation Up to $1,900 total in rebates are available from Jackson EMC when using the Home Energy Evaluation results to isolate and improve energy efficiency, www.jacksonemc.com/rebates ‘Evaluations have a base fee and will incur additional costs for multiple HVAC units. Rebate program requirements must be followed. Rebates may be discontinued at any time. Rebates are not available if you do not have this audit (Home Energy Evaluation) conducted by Jackson EMC and Home Diagnostic Solutions. loran smith